Rate My Professor Robert Simpkins

Robert Simpkins serves as Professor of Anthropology in the Social Science Division at Porterville College. He earned his Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2011 with a dissertation titled "The Road to Golconda: European Travelers' Routes, Political Organization and Archaeology in the Golconda Kingdom (1518-1687)." He also holds an M.A. in Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a B.A. from San Jose State University. An archaeologist with field experience in Old and New World civilizations, Simpkins specializes in the civilizations of South Asia. His research interests encompass trade networks, monumental architecture, political organization, religious traditions, and cultural landscapes. During his graduate studies, he participated in excavations at Harappa, Pakistan, a major center of the Indus Valley Civilization, and conducted research on architecture and road networks in the Golconda Kingdom of South India. Earlier in his career, from 1994 to 1999, he worked as an Archaeological Assistant in the Office of the State Archaeologist for the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. From 2004 to 2009, he served as President of the Santa Clara County Archaeological Society.